# The best Japanese gardens in Tokyo

Tokyo has more fine Japanese gardens than most visitors have time for: estates of shoguns and feudal lords, Meiji-era villas of industrialists and an Edo merchant's flower garden, most of them kept by the city for a few hundred yen. This page compares the best, says which to visit in which season and explains tickets, the annual pass and the rules. Below it, a list updated daily shows night openings and other events at these gardens.

## How to choose

Most of the city's classic gardens are stroll gardens (kaiyu-shiki) laid out around a pond, with islands, hills and bridges that open a new view at each turn. Nine are metropolitan gardens run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association: Hama-rikyu, Kyu-Shiba-rikyu, Koishikawa Korakuen, Rikugien, Kyu-Iwasaki-tei, Mukojima-Hyakkaen, Kiyosumi, Kyu-Furukawa and Tonogayato. Shinjuku Gyoen is a national garden, the Imperial Palace East Gardens are run by the Imperial Household Agency, and a few private venues such as Happo-en let the public walk their gardens.

If you have time for one, choose by what you want. For the classic feudal lord's garden: Rikugien or Koishikawa Korakuen. For water and skyline: Hama-rikyu. For lawns, picnics and the longest cherry season: Shinjuku Gyoen. For free entry and castle history: the East Gardens. For a calm pond with stepping stones: Kiyosumi. For roses and a stone mansion: Kyu-Furukawa. For wildflowers and Edo townsfolk's taste: Mukojima-Hyakkaen. For a quiet half day out west: Tonogayato.

- → [Rikugien Garden: an Edo stroll garden in Komagome](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/rikugien.md)
- → [Koishikawa Korakuen: an Edo garden next to Tokyo Dome](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/koishikawa-korakuen.md)
- → [Hama-rikyu Gardens: the shoguns' garden on Tokyo Bay](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/hama-rikyu.md)
- → [Shinjuku Gyoen: gardens, seasons and the rules to know](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/shinjuku-gyoen.md)
- → [Imperial Palace: East Gardens, moat walks and palace tours](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/imperial-palace.md)
- → [Cultural & Ethnic Festivals events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/culture.md)

## The big five, compared

[Rikugien](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E5%85%AD%E7%BE%A9%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%96%87%E4%BA%AC%E5%8C%BA%E6%9C%AC%E9%A7%92%E8%BE%BC6-16-3) in Komagome was laid out from 1695 by an adviser to the shogun around scenes from waka poetry. It is the most intimate of the big gardens, best known for a giant weeping cherry in late March and maples lit up after dark in late autumn. [Koishikawa Korakuen](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E5%B0%8F%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E5%BE%8C%E6%A5%BD%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%96%87%E4%BA%AC%E5%8C%BA%E5%BE%8C%E6%A5%BD1-6-6), begun in 1629 right next to today's Tokyo Dome, is the oldest surviving daimyo garden in Tokyo, with Chinese touches such as a full-moon stone bridge and the red-lacquered Tsutenkyo bridge among maples.

[Hama-rikyu](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%B5%9C%E9%9B%A2%E5%AE%AE%E6%81%A9%E8%B3%9C%E5%BA%AD%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E4%B8%AD%E5%A4%AE%E5%8C%BA%E6%B5%9C%E9%9B%A2%E5%AE%AE%E5%BA%AD%E5%9C%921-1) is the shoguns' villa on Tokyo Bay and the only Edo-period garden in the city whose pond still takes in sea water, with a tea house over the water, rapeseed fields in early spring and the Shiodome towers behind; boats from Asakusa land at its own pier. [Shinjuku Gyoen](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%BF%E5%BE%A1%E8%8B%91%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%BF%E5%8C%BA%E5%86%85%E8%97%A4%E7%94%BA11) puts Japanese, English and French gardens side by side on a big scale, with about 900 cherry trees of some 70 kinds and a chrysanthemum exhibition every year from November 1 to 15, and its rules are stricter than a park's (no alcohol, no ball games). The [Imperial Palace East Gardens](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E7%9A%87%E5%B1%85%E6%9D%B1%E5%BE%A1%E8%8B%91%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E5%8D%83%E4%BB%A3%E7%94%B0%E5%8C%BA%E5%8D%83%E4%BB%A3%E7%94%B01-1) are free and sit on the inner citadel of Edo Castle, with stone walls, the base of the old keep and the Ninomaru pond garden; they close on Mondays and Fridays.

- Rikugien and Kyu-Furukawa share a combined ticket (Enmusubi), and Hama-rikyu has one with Kyu-Shiba-rikyu.
- Each of the five has its own page on our site with history, the year in the garden and how to get there.

- → [Rikugien Garden: an Edo stroll garden in Komagome](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/rikugien.md)
- → [Koishikawa Korakuen: an Edo garden next to Tokyo Dome](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/koishikawa-korakuen.md)
- → [Hama-rikyu Gardens: the shoguns' garden on Tokyo Bay](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/hama-rikyu.md)
- → [Shinjuku Gyoen: gardens, seasons and the rules to know](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/shinjuku-gyoen.md)
- → [Imperial Palace: East Gardens, moat walks and palace tours](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/imperial-palace.md)

## Kiyosumi and Kyu-Furukawa: two Meiji-era gardens

[Kiyosumi Teien](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%B8%85%E6%BE%84%E5%BA%AD%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B1%9F%E6%9D%B1%E5%8C%BA%E6%B8%85%E6%BE%843-3-9) is the garden of the Iwasaki family, founders of Mitsubishi. Iwasaki Yataro bought the run-down estate in 1878, and the family brought in famous stones from all over Japan on their own company's steamships, so the garden feels like a stone garden around a wide pond. Walk the isowatari stepping stones along the water's edge, past the Ryotei, a tea house built out over the pond in 1909 to welcome Lord Kitchener, and a stone carved with Basho's frog haiku. Herons and cormorants live here, and diving ducks arrive in winter. The garden is three minutes from Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station, close to the area's coffee roasters and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

[Kyu-Furukawa Gardens](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%97%A7%E5%8F%A4%E6%B2%B3%E5%BA%AD%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E5%8C%97%E5%8C%BA%E8%A5%BF%E3%82%B1%E5%8E%9F1-27-39) stack three gardens on a slope: a stone-clad Western mansion on top, finished in 1917 as one of the last works of the British architect Josiah Conder, a terraced Western garden of roses below it and, at the bottom, a Japanese garden by the Kyoto gardener Ogawa Jihei VII around a pond shaped like the character for heart. The roses peak in May and again in October, with a rose festival in each season. The mansion is run separately by the Otani Museum, with its own ticket and guided tours booked ahead, and photos are not allowed inside. Kami-Nakazato Station (JR Keihin-Tohoku Line) and Nishigahara Station (Namboku Line) are about 7 minutes away.

- → [Flower festivals in Tokyo through the year](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/flowers.md)
- → [Museums and big exhibitions in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/museums.md)
- → [Events in Koto](https://eventstokyo.com/en/koto.md)
- → [Events in Kita](https://eventstokyo.com/en/kita.md)

## Mukojima-Hyakkaen, Tonogayato and Happo-en

[Mukojima-Hyakkaen](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E5%90%91%E5%B3%B6%E7%99%BE%E8%8A%B1%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E5%A2%A8%E7%94%B0%E5%8C%BA%E6%9D%B1%E5%90%91%E5%B3%B63-18-3) is a different kind of garden: an antiques dealer, Sahara Kikuu, created it in the early 1800s with the writers and artists of Edo, first with 360 plum trees and then with plants named in Chinese and Japanese classical poetry. It is small and informal, with the seven flowers of autumn, a bush-clover tunnel about 30 metres long that blooms in September, and a moon-viewing evening that has run for a long time. It is about 8 minutes from Higashi-Mukojima Station on the Tobu Skytree Line, a short ride from Tokyo Skytree.

[Tonogayato Teien](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%AE%BF%E3%83%B6%E8%B0%B7%E6%88%B8%E5%BA%AD%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E5%9B%BD%E5%88%86%E5%AF%BA%E5%B8%82%E5%8D%97%E7%94%BA2-16) in Kokubunji, two minutes from the JR Chuo Line station, uses a natural slope of the Musashino terrace: a sunny lawn on top, then a path down to a spring-fed pond in the woods, a bamboo grove and the Momiji-tei pavilion above the maples, which are at their best from late November into early December. Built as a villa in 1913 to 1915 and later owned by the Iwasaki family, it was saved from redevelopment by local residents and bought by Tokyo in 1974. The paths are steep in places.

[Happo-en](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E5%85%AB%E8%8A%B3%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B8%AF%E5%8C%BA%E7%99%BD%E9%87%91%E5%8F%B01-1-1) in Shirokanedai is a private wedding and banquet venue around a pond garden whose history goes back about 400 years, with bonsai said to be over 500 years old and a tea house, Muan, that serves matcha. Visitors can usually stroll the garden without a ticket, and it lights the garden up in late autumn (check the [official site](https://happo-en.com/garden/) for tickets), but ceremonies and photo shoots come first, so keep a polite distance. It is a minute from Exit 2 of Shirokanedai Station. Two more metropolitan gardens are worth a detour: [Kyu-Iwasaki-tei](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%97%A7%E5%B2%A9%E5%B4%8E%E9%82%B8%E5%BA%AD%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E5%8F%B0%E6%9D%B1%E5%8C%BA%E6%B1%A0%E4%B9%8B%E7%AB%AF1-3-45) near Ueno, an 1896 Conder mansion with a lawn garden, and [Kyu-Shiba-rikyu](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%97%A7%E8%8A%9D%E9%9B%A2%E5%AE%AE%E6%81%A9%E8%B3%9C%E5%BA%AD%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B8%AF%E5%8C%BA%E6%B5%B7%E5%B2%B81-4-1), a small Edo-period garden beside Hamamatsucho Station.

- → [Tsukimi: moon viewing in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/tsukimi.md)
- → [Autumn leaves in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/autumn-leaves.md)
- → [Tokyo Skytree: the two decks, Solamachi and the view](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/tokyo-skytree.md)
- → [Ueno and Yanaka: museums, parks and old streets](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/ueno.md)
- → [Events in Sumida](https://eventstokyo.com/en/sumida.md)
- → [Events in Minato](https://eventstokyo.com/en/minato.md)

## The garden year

Late winter starts with plum blossoms in February at Mukojima-Hyakkaen, Koishikawa Korakuen and Hama-rikyu, and Hama-rikyu's rapeseed field turns yellow from late February. The cherry season runs from Rikugien's weeping cherry in late March to Shinjuku Gyoen's double-flowered trees in mid and late April. Azaleas fill Rikugien and Kiyosumi from mid-April, wisteria hangs from Mukojima-Hyakkaen's trellis in early May, and Kyu-Furukawa's roses open in May.

June is for irises: Koishikawa Korakuen's iris field, Kiyosumi and the Ninomaru garden in the East Gardens. Summer is hot and quiet, and the free guided walks usually pause in July and August. In September Mukojima's bush clover flowers, red spider lilies appear at Koishikawa Korakuen and moon-viewing evenings come around the harvest moon. Kyu-Furukawa's second rose season runs through October.

November brings snow ropes (yukitsuri) tied on the pines and chrysanthemums at Shinjuku Gyoen and Mukojima-Hyakkaen. From late November into early December come the maples: Rikugien and Koishikawa Korakuen usually hold ticketed evening light-ups, Tonogayato's wooded valley is at its best and Happo-en lights its garden. In recent autumns a stamp rally has linked the nine metropolitan gardens. Winter brings camellias and wintersweet, and in recent years Hama-rikyu has held a falconry demonstration on January 3.

- → [Cherry blossom season in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/sakura.md)
- → [Flower festivals in Tokyo through the year](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/flowers.md)
- → [Autumn leaves in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/autumn-leaves.md)
- → [Tsukimi: moon viewing in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/tsukimi.md)
- → [Winter in Tokyo: January and February](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/winter.md)
- → [Cultural & Ethnic Festivals events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/culture.md)
- → [This weekend in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/this-weekend.md)

## Tickets, the annual pass, manners and photos

The metropolitan gardens charge a small fee, 150 to 400 yen for adults as of 2026, and children of primary school age and younger enter free. All nine are free on Greenery Day (May 4) and Tokyo Citizens' Day (October 1), which also makes them crowded. Most are open from 9am to 5pm with last entry at 4:30pm, and they close from December 29 to January 1 (Mukojima-Hyakkaen until January 3). The gates take IC cards, credit cards and QR payments, and several gardens sell same-day tickets online.

The Park Association also sells an annual pass for all nine gardens, valid for a year from the day you buy it at any of the gates: 4,000 yen, or 2,000 yen for visitors aged 65 and over, as of 2026, with cheaper single-garden passes too. One visit to each of the nine costs about 2,000 yen in total, so the pass pays off only if you go back often, for example to follow one garden through the seasons. On a short trip, single tickets and the combined tickets are cheaper.

Gardens are protected cultural properties, so the rules are stricter than in parks. Pets are not allowed (assistance dogs are), keep to the paths and off moss, stones and roped areas, and keep your voice down. Kyu-Furukawa asks visitors not to spread mats or bring alcohol, and Shinjuku Gyoen bans alcohol. Ordinary snapshots are fine everywhere. Model shoots and commercial photography need permission in advance, cosplay shoots are refused at Kyu-Furukawa and Tonogayato, and Kyu-Furukawa bans tripods, monopods and selfie sticks in its busy seasons. Repairs sometimes close a path or lower a pond, so check the [official garden pages](https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/teien/en/) before a photo trip.

- Free guided walks run at most metropolitan gardens on weekends, some in English. They usually pause in July and August.
- A bowl of matcha in a garden tea house is a quick break, not a tea ceremony. For the full ritual, see our tea ceremony guide.
- Rain is no reason to skip a garden: moss and stones look richer when wet and the paths empty out. Wear shoes with grip.

- → [Taking photos at Tokyo events](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/photography.md)
- → [Tea ceremony in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/tea-ceremony.md)
- → [What to do in Tokyo when it rains](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/rainy-day.md)

## All events, soonest first

- **[Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony 2026 (Hamarikyu Gardens)](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/tokyo-grand-tea-ceremony-2026-hamarikyu-gardens)** — Sat, Oct 31, 2026 10:00 – Sun, Nov 1, 2026 (JST) · Hama-rikyu Gardens (Chuo) · ¥800
- **[Autumn Foliage at Happo-en](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/autumn-foliage-at-happo-en)** — Wed, Nov 11, 2026 – Thu, Dec 31, 2026 (JST) · Happo-en (Minato) · price on the official site
- **[Autumn Foliage at the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/autumn-foliage-at-the-east-gardens-of-the)** — Wed, Nov 11, 2026 – Sun, Dec 20, 2026 (JST) · Imperial Palace East Garden (Chiyoda) · Free entry
- **[Autumn Foliage at Kiyosumi Garden](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/autumn-foliage-at-kiyosumi-garden)** — Wed, Nov 11, 2026 – Thu, Dec 10, 2026 (JST) · Kiyosumi Garden (Koto) · ¥150
- **[Special Evening Opening: Illuminated Autumn Leaves at Koishikawa Korakuen](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/special-evening-opening-illuminated-autumn-leaves-at-koishikawa-korakuen)** — Fri, Nov 13, 2026 18:00 – Tue, Nov 24, 2026 (JST) · Koishikawa Korakuen Garden (Bunkyo) · ¥1,000〜¥1,200
- **[Autumn Foliage at the Former Iwasaki Family Garden](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/autumn-foliage-at-the-former-iwasaki-family-garden)** — Sat, Nov 21, 2026 – Thu, Dec 10, 2026 (JST) · Former Iwasaki Residence Gardens (Taito) · ¥400
- **[Autumn Foliage Viewing at the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/autumn-foliage-viewing-at-the-east-gardens-of)** — Sat, Nov 21, 2026 – Thu, Dec 10, 2026 (JST) · Imperial Palace East Garden (Chiyoda) · price on the official site
- **[Rikugien Garden Autumn Illuminations – Special Evening Viewing](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/rikugien-garden-autumn-illuminations-special-evening-viewing)** — Wed, Nov 25, 2026 18:00 – Sun, Dec 6, 2026 (JST) · Rikugien Garden (Bunkyo) · ¥1,000〜¥1,200
- **[Autumn at Rikugien Garden: Experience Japanese Culture in a Daimyo Garden](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/autumn-at-rikugien-garden-experience-japanese-culture-in-a-daimyo)** — Sat, Oct 17, 2026 09:00 – Sun, Dec 6, 2026 (JST) · Rikugien Garden (Bunkyo) · ¥300
- **[A Touch of Noh: The Story of 'Takasago'](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/a-touch-of-noh-the-story-of-takasago)** — Tue, Dec 15, 2026 14:00 (JST) · Kiyosumi Gardens Taisho Memorial Hall (Koto) · ¥4,000

## Questions people ask

**What is the best Japanese garden in Tokyo?**
For a first visit, Rikugien or Koishikawa Korakuen, the two classic feudal lords' stroll gardens. Choose Hama-rikyu for water and skyline views, or Shinjuku Gyoen for space and cherry blossoms.

**Are there free Japanese gardens in Tokyo?**
The Imperial Palace East Gardens are free, and Happo-en's garden can usually be visited without a ticket. The nine metropolitan gardens are free on May 4 and October 1.

**Is the Tokyo nine-garden annual pass worth it?**
Only if you go back often. As of 2026 it costs 4,000 yen, while one visit to each of the nine gardens costs about 2,000 yen.

**When is the best time to visit Japanese gardens in Tokyo?**
Late March for cherry blossoms, May for azaleas and roses, June for irises and late November to early December for maples. Weekday mornings are the calmest at any time of year.

**Can I use a tripod in Tokyo's Japanese gardens?**
Snapshots are fine, but rules vary: Kyu-Furukawa bans tripods, monopods and selfie sticks in busy seasons, and model or commercial shoots need permission everywhere. Check the garden's notices first.

**Can I visit Tokyo's gardens at night?**
Usually not, since most close at 5pm. Rikugien and Koishikawa Korakuen hold ticketed light-ups in the cherry or maple season, and Happo-en lights its garden in late autumn.

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Tokyo Events: https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/japanese-gardens